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In March 1977, ballistics link murders going back six months to the same Charter Arms Bulldog .44. A serial killer, Son of Sam, is on the loose. But Coleridge Taylor can’t compete with the armies of reporters fighting New York’s tabloid war—only rewrite what they get. Constantly on the lookout for victims who need their stories told, he uncovers other killings being ignored because of the media circus. He goes after one, the story of a young Blackwoman gunned down in her apartment building the same night Son of Sam struck elsewhere in Queens.

The story entangles Taylor with a wealthy Park Avenue family at war with itself. Just as he’s closing in on the killer and his scoop, the July 13-14 blackout sends New York into a 24-hour orgy of looting and destruction.

Praise for Lights Out Summer

"Well-plotted....Zahradnik nails the period, with its pack journalism, racism overt and subtle, and the excesses of the wealthy at places like Studio 54, as he shows how one dogged reporter can make a difference.
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"★★★★★ [A] fascinating and dramatic historical mystery novel. Taylor's character is a little gritty and brutally honest, but so relatable...The author's ability to weave his story in and out through so many social classes and so many different situations is refreshing.
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A Black Sail

On the eve of the U.S. Bicentennial, reporter Coleridge Taylor is covering Operation Sail. N.Y. Harbor teems with tall ships. But Taylor is still a police reporter. He wants to cover real stories. One surfaces right in front of him when a housewife is fished out of the harbor wearing bricks of heroin.

About Rich

Rich Zahradnik is the award-winning author of the critically acclaimed Coleridge Taylor Mystery series from Camel Press. He was a journalist for 30-plus years, working as a reporter and editor in all major news media.